john koch

i've decided to tell you all the legend of john koch.

almost 5 years ago when bryce and i were married we set up our first phone line. the first year of our marriage was filled with calls for john koch. several times a week we got calls for him. it became a joke in our home, it was unbelievable how many times someone called for him. whenever anyone asked for him, we would tell him he no longer had this number... but the calls never died down, so we began simply telling them that they had the wrong number. we even contemplated switching numbers, but we never did, we figured they would eventually die down and i think we began to grow a little fond of john, our little joke.

as the years passed, the calls died down a bit, but not nearly as much as we thought they would. we received calls for him almost every month at least. it amazed us how many people were trying to reach this man. it wasn't just telemarketers or creditors, it was real people trying to get a hold of him. bryce and i always wondered who this john was.

one time, a few years back, we headed to 'sears' to buy something. as we went to purchase our item, they asked us for our phone number for the warranty. after we gave it to him, he asked, "are you john koch?" bryce and i looked at each other, laughed and answered, "no." we finally knew a little more about john. he shopped at sears at least once. we even asked the cashier if there was another number under his name, quizzically the cashier checked and answered no.

the jokes continue at our home. after almost five years, we still receive calls every month or so for him. this morning another long lost friend/relative from utah called looking for him. i told bryce, john must've truly fallen off the face of this earth, no one knows where he is.

we always joke that one day, we'll be out somewhere, maybe at the grocery store, and a man standing in front of me in line will open his wallet and i'll see his license and read: john koch. i don't think i'll be able to contain myself from shaking his hand and saying, "it is so nice to finally meet you!"

i think the next time, i get a call for him, i'll tell them that if they find him, tell him to call me... i have a few messages for him.